3 Pics Nab Hungarian Coin

Vajna-headed national fund disburses $4.2 million

Hungary’s National Film Fund, which is headed by Hollywood producerAndy Vajna, has granted production funding totaling 970 million forint ($4.2 million) to three projects: “Swing,” “Home Guards” and “Paw.”

Csaba Fazekas’ “Swing,” which is the story of a singing group comprising three women of different generations, nabbed $1.33 million. Pic stars Mari Torocsik, whose credits include 11 pics that have played at Cannes, including “Deryne, hol van?,” for which she won the actress prize at the fest in 1976.

“Swing,” which is produced by Unio Film’s Istvan Bodzsar, starts lensing at the end of July on a $2.2 million budget.

Krisztina Goda’s “Home Guards” receives $1.9 million. It centers on two brothers who join a neighborhood group dedicated to fighting crime, but which turns into a darker force. Goda, who is an alumni of the U.K.’s National Film and Television School and UCLA film school, has helmed three features, including “Children of Glory,” which was the most successful local film in Hungary in 2006. “Home Guards” is produced by Megafilm’s Gabor Kalomista and lenses in September.

Robert-Adrian Pejo’s “Paw,” which is about a German Shepherd puppy that sets out to find a new home and becomes a rescue dog, was given $1.1 million. It’s produced by Uj Budapest Filmstudio’s Laszlo Kantor in co-production with Hungary’s top commercial channel TV2. Lensing rolls from the end of July on a budget of $1.64 million.

In the past six month, Hungary’s National Film Fund — which was set up in September 2011 — has contributed $16.1 million toward the production of 20 pics. These have included eight that will be released this year, including “Heavenly Shift” (pictured), Mark Bodzsar’s helming debut, and three that are lensing now: Kornel Mundruczo’s “White God,” Gyula Nemes’ “Zero” and Denes Orosz’s “Coming Out.”

“We finally arrived at a stage where the movies that we are developing and putting into production will satisfy both the Hungarian and foreign markets,” said Vajna, who arrives in Cannes today to talk to potential international partners for Hungarian pics.